


It's Going to be Okay

by OneManBand



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Grinding, He's also in love, I promise, Insecurities, Keith is waxing poetic about Lance, Langst, Let him live, M/M, PWP, Praise Kink, Teasing, a little self depricating, but keith comes in to the rescue, it starts off sad but ends up happy, my otp is lance and happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 04:07:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15597951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneManBand/pseuds/OneManBand
Summary: Lance seemed to be retreating further and further into himself but Keith pulls him back out.





	It's Going to be Okay

**Author's Note:**

> I hit a roadblock while writing the next part of Color Adjacent so I wrote something else instead! And! And!!! it's under 4k words I'm v proud. 
> 
> This is also relatively tame compared to my other works but it's still fluffy bc honestly with s7 right around the corner, we all need it.
> 
> Not beta'd bc I'm lazy so all mistakes are my own.

Lance was acting really weird. 

It started off with small things, things that would usually go unnoticed with lack of frequency. 

He started stumbling during training, something that almost never happened to the graceful red paladin proxy. 

Lance retreated more and more into himself, making excuses to get out of social events or conversing with the rest of the team. 

The smile that made his face glow seemed to become rare, showing up only once in a blue moon instead of every four seconds. 

It only got worse when Shiro disappeared, the power dynamic in the team shifting drastically to the point where the more than half the team switched to a new lion. 

And Keith was terrified. The situation with Lance worried him enough that he was beginning to lose sleep over it. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what was going on in the other man’s head, he didn’t understand what had happened to the loud, kind-hearted paladin that he cared about. 

 

Keith was reclined on the sofa, legs stretched out along its length, claiming the cushions for himself. His eyes were glued to the book he had been reading and failed to notice Lance coming in until he pushed his legs out of the way gently and sat at the other end of the couch. Keith put his book down and raised an eyebrow, taking him in.

Lance looked pale, bags hanging deep and dark under his eyes, weighed down by sleep depravity and poor nutrition. He was curled into himself, knees pulled to his chest, held there by his arms. At least it looked like he’d showered and dressed in clean clothes, donning loose sweatpants and an almost too small tank top.

“You come to keep me company?” Keith asked warily, after a few minutes of silence. Lance glanced at him, eyes unfocused as he nodded. 

“Is that okay?” 

Keith smiled gently and picked his book back up.

“Yeah, it is.”

The two men sat in comfortable silence for almost half an hour before Lance spoke again, turning his whole body to face Keith. 

“Can I ask you a question?”

Keith doggy eared the book and put it on the floor, giving Lance his full attention. 

“What’s up?” he wondered, locking on to pale eyes. The blue paladin chewed on his lip, picking at the fabric of his pants.

“Do you like being the team leader?”

Oh. 

Keith sat up, leaning against the armrest and crossed his arms. He could do this. Lance wanted a serious conversation and if it meant he would open up about what’s been bothering him, then Keith was going to dive in head first. He swallowed and averted his gaze.

“If I’m being completely honest, no,” he said quietly with a half shrug.

“Why?” 

The red paladin hesitated and scratched the back of his head. Be honest with him and he’ll be honest with you. Right. He could do this.

“Sorry, you um. You don’t have to answer,” Lance back tracked, putting his hands up in solidarity. “I was just trying to make conversation.” 

“No, no. It’s alright, Lance. Honest,” Keith affirmed and leant forward, bracing his chin on his hand in hopes of his body language appearing more open. “I um. I don’t really see myself as leader material. It’s… Um. I’m scared.” He winced at how whiny and insecure his voice sounded. “I’ve never really been a team player and I know we’ve been doing this for years but I’m still trying to figure it out, ya know?” 

Lance was quiet again, ocean eyes locked on him, making Keith shift uncomfortably. 

“I think you’re a great leader,” he finally said, head tilting to the side. “I’m glad the Black Lion chose you.” 

Keith blushed slightly and blinked, heart skipping a beat. Was Lance really opening up to him, was he about to find out what’s going on? 

“Thank you, Lance,” Keith said with a nod. Lance hummed quietly.

“’n you know,” he started again, voice almost a whisper. His eyes were downcast, lips pressed together in a tight line. “Everyone’s been doing really great. Hunk and Pidge seem smarter than ever, always helping Coran out or doing something to help the team- like upgrading the lions or building new weapons. And…And Allura seems to have taken really well to Blue. Like I think the bond between them is even stronger than the one I had with her. I don’t think I can even keep up with everyone anymore. I’m just kinda there.”

Oh _no_.

“Lance,” Keith said firmly, repeating it when the man across from him didn’t move. “Lance, look at me.” 

Keith shuffled forward enough so he was only a few inches away from the blue paladin, reaching out and hesitating slightly before saying a mental ‘fuck it’ and gently cupped his face. 

“What?” he frowned, blinking in confusion. 

“Please, please don’t ever sell yourself short. You’re our sharpshooter, one of the best gunsmen I’ve ever seen in my life,” Keith praised, rubbing a thumb against his cheek. “You’re smart and funny and you’re literally my right-hand man.” Lance giggled a little at the joke. “You see and handle problems differently, usually solving them before any of us could. You pilot Red with a grace that I didn’t even know existed- like she reminds me of an acrobat when you’re behind the wheel, it’s amazing.” 

Lance bit his lip hard, arms tightening around his knees. Keith felt like Lance was crumbling in front of him and fuck if he was going to let that happen. If his teammate- his friend- _the light of his life_ needed reassurance, then he was willing to give it every day and all day if he had to. Keith wiped a stray tear off his honey skin, smiling softly when Lance nodded. 

The blue paladin unfurled himself and moved forward, tucking himself sideways on Keith’s lap. He rested his head on his shoulder, relaxing a bit when the team leader wrapped his arms tightly around him, making sure he was safe and secure. 

“I know this is um… This is a little weird but can we just stay like this for a while?” Lance asked, his hand gripping the sleeve of Keith’s sweater. “Please?”

Keith’s heart ached for the man in his lap, able to feel the insecurity and fear rolling off of him. He nodded and rested his chin on surprisingly soft brown hair. 

“This is fine, Lance, anything you need,” he said and pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

They sat like that for the rest of the evening, only pulling apart when it was time to call it a night.

 

Training days were always exhausting, both physically and mentally. 

Keith pushed the team hard, trying to make up for Shiro’s absence and compensating for that almost overwhelming fear that something bad might happen if they couldn’t defend themselves properly. 

He finally called it quits after three long hours, earning a muted cheer from Pidge and Hunk as they hobbled to the locker rooms to shower. Keith snorted and turned, intent on getting just a few more rounds in with the Gladiator. He grabbed his water bottle from the bench and opened it, taking a few sips. Over the top of the bottle, he spotted Lance standing a little awkwardly off to the side. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” Keith greeted with a smile, trying to encourage a more confident look on his teammate’s face. Lance shifted from foot to foot before taking a few steps towards Keith.

“Did I um… Did I do okay today?” he asked nervously. “During training, I mean.” 

Keith blinked and put his water bottle down, turning to face Lance. 

“You did great today, Lance,” he acknowledged. “I’m very proud of you.” 

Lance bit his lip and crowded a little more into Keith’s space. The red paladin cocked his head to the side and startled when Lance slipped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Keith tentatively returned the gesture, feeling Lance relax against him. He hummed and closed his eyes. He could really get used to this.

 

Over the next few days, Keith put it upon himself to make sure Lance felt wanted. He complimented him when he could, pulled him into light hugs and gave him the occasional pat on the head. If the rest of the team thought it was odd, they certainly didn’t say anything about it. 

What they did notice however, was Lance’s mood slowly improving. He joked around more, the oceans of his eyes sparkling along with the gorgeous laughter that spilled from his mouth. His skin seemed to have color to it again, saturating from the gray pallor it once had to a warm caramel, smooth and sleek and well taken care of. 

Even the way he dressed seemed to change. He put more effort into his outfits, ditching the lazy sweatpants and tank tops to large sweaters that were soft to the touch and tight jeans that hugged him in all the right places. Even his hair looked shinier, how was that even possible?

But Keith couldn’t stop looking at him. Couldn’t stop thinking about how barely a week ago, he was practically held together by scotch tape and now he’s flourishing, almost glowing everywhere he went. He couldn’t stop thinking about how the blue paladin would look at him, eyes softened and posture relaxed, like everything was right in the world. 

Lance was truly, truly amazing.

 

Which is why it scared the shit out of Keith when Lance came into his room unannounced in his big sweater and way too short shorts, looking just as dazzling as ever. The taller man made his way over to Keith’s spot on the bed and straddled him easily, warm legs hugging his thighs as he looped his arms around Keith’s shoulders. 

“Lance?” he swallowed, looking up into hooded eyes. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“Mm, Keith?” Lance said quietly, face flushing a little. “I have a question.”

“Oh. Okay, what is it?” Oh thank god, he’s okay.

“Do you…Do you think I’m pretty?” 

Keith’s brain came to a screeching halt.

“Huh?” he said dumbly, eyebrows furrowing.

“Do you,” Lance repeated, rubbing his nose against Keith’s softly, warm breath ghosting over his lips. “think I’m pretty?” 

The red paladin swallowed hard, hands moving up smooth thighs to rest on his hips. Lance seemed to relax, letting himself put more of his weight onto Keith’s lap. Huh. Might as well see where this goes. 

“Of course I do, Lance. You’re beautiful,” he confessed, squeezing his hips for good measure. A small noise came from the man on top of him, turning into a low, happy hum. 

“Do you like me?” Lance asked, shifting to press himself chest to chest with a red faced Keith.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Would you date me?”

Keith wrapped his arms more firmly around Lance’s thin waist, lips brushing against his jawline. 

“Without a doubt.”

That pulled a quiet moan from the blue paladin as he tangled his fingers into Keith’s hair, tugging just enough so his head tilted back to look up at him.

“Would you fuck me?” Lance purred, eyes slipping closed while he rolled his hips forward in a dirty grind. Keith hissed, erection hard and straining in his jeans.

“Jesus christ, Lance,” he growled. “Is that what you want?”

“Mhm. I want you, Keith. So, so bad.” 

There was no way Keith could ignore something like that. Not with those plush, pretty lips just centimeters away from his, not with those strong legs wrapped around him, trying to get closer and definitely not with those soft hands smoothing down the front of his shirt, pressing firmly against his pecs.

Keith cupped Lance’s face, bringing him down into a kiss, all teeth and tongue and desperation. He pulled away, gasping for air and lifted Lance from his lap, putting him down on the bed next to him.

“Are you sure you want this?” he asked as he manhandled Lance down onto the mattress, spreading him out like a meal. Lance moaned again, legs spreading open obscenely as he moved his hands down his own body to the insides of his thighs. Keith’s eyes locked onto the thick bulge pressing against the front of his tiny blue shorts, dampening the thin fabric with pre. 

“Keith, baby, please,” he breathed, voice low and silky. “I’ve been thinking about you non-stop for _years_. Just…” Lance palmed himself, throwing his head back with another quiet noise. “How you would touch me and kiss me and how you would fill me up so _good_.” 

Keith had to physically sit back and close his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to stop himself from hyperventilating. He risked a glance back up, groaning when he realized that Lance had pulled his sweater up to just under his arms so he could freely pull and twist at his nipples. His gaze was hot and heavy on Keith, inviting him to come closer.

“Fuck, you’re going to be the death of me,” he snarled, moving forward again to tuck himself between Lance’s legs. He ran his hands up his toned calves to his thighs, admiring the smooth skin. “Do you always shave your legs?” 

Lance hummed, arching his back slightly, glad to finally be touched. 

“Mm, no, not always. I ah…” He gasped when Keith’s hands rounded the backs of his thighs, sliding briefly across his ass and around to his stomach. “I wanted to be pretty for you.” 

Keith practically sobbed and pressed tender kisses along Lance’s stomach to his chest to his neck to his mouth, smiling when Lance keened into it. 

“You don’t have to do that for me, Lance,” he assured, licking into his mouth. “I always think you’re pretty. I can never stop looking at you.” Lance choked a little, face burning bright red as he looked up at Keith with wide eyes. He raised an eyebrow, looking back down at him. “Do you like that, sweetheart? Do you like it when I call you pretty?” The taller man nodded fervently, rolling his hips up, trying to get friction on his aching cock.

“Yes. Yes, a lot.”

“Do you like it when I compliment you? Praise you?” Keith asked and moved down to mouth at his neck, sucking dark marks that he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide. “Answer me, Lance.”

It took a few seconds for Lance to get it together but he eventually nodded again, head rolling to the side to allow Keith greater access to his neck. 

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

Lance’s body trembled under him, shaking with effort to stay coherent. 

“Yessir,” he slurred, fingers reaching up to tangle in Keith’s hair.

“There we go,” Keith cooed, rewarding him with a kiss. “What a good boy. So obedient.” He maneuvered Lance around gently so he could tug his sweater the rest of the way off, sitting up to admire the miles and miles of honey skin under him. “My beautiful boy, look at you.” Keith smoothed his hands down to his waist, fingers dancing along the spandex of his shorts before grazing up his sides in what he knew felt comforting. “What is it that you want me to do for you tonight, Lance?” 

Lance bucked against Keith’s hands, trying to get more, always more. 

“Can. Can you put your mouth on me?”

“Where?”

“Anywhere, please, Keith. I want you, I _need_ you. So bad.”

He was more than happy to comply. 

Keith pulled his own shirt off and squirmed out of his pants, leaving himself in only his black boxer briefs. He slid his body up Lance’s, making sure that every part of him rubbed against his straining dick as he became level with his chest. Keith kissed around dusky pink nipples softly, pausing every now and then to suck a purple mark into flesh. Lance moaned and wriggled under him, absolutely loving the attention. 

The Cuban threw his arms over his face, trying to hide the blush that threatened to set his face on fire. Keith was not having it.

“Lance, look at me,” he commanded gently, waiting until he saw blown blue eyes looking back at him before licking a flat stripe across his nipple. “I want you to keep watching me, okay? Can you do that for me?”

He waited again for the quick nod of affirmation before going back to work, closing his lips around the pert nub and sucking, moaning as Lance tangled his fingers into his hair.  
Keith worked on it until Lance was a crying mess, mumbling and begging for more. 

Keith liked to think he was merciful, so he moved to the other side. He licked once before sucking hard, biting a little bit at the soft skin. Lance _howled_ , forcing Keith to push his hips down firmly to keep him from knocking him off. He glanced up, pleased to see teary eyes still locked on him, face flush and lips swollen from him chewing on them. 

“Keith, please! Please,” Lance cried, fingernails scraping against Keith’s scalp. “Kiss me, I want to taste you.” 

The red paladin smiled softly and complied, moving back up to lick against those gorgeous lips. Lance let out a pleased noise and wrapped his legs around Keith’s waist, locking him in like an octopus. Keith hummed and gave him what he wanted, rolling his hips against Lance’s and groaning as their erections slid against each other. 

“Fuck. Fuck, Lance you feel so good,” he praised, pushing down hard against him. Lance’s hands were everywhere, touching him, scratching him, feeling every inch of porcelain skin Keith had to offer. “You’re so pretty when you’re like this, you know that? So desperate for my cock to split you open, to fill you up. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes!”

The paladins were hot, sweating and grinding against each other like the teenagers they once were. Lance was vocal, breathing hot, gasping pleas into Keith’s mouth as he continued to praise him. 

They were getting close, bodies tight and wound up like bow strings. They just needed something, that last final thing to push them over the edge. 

At some point, Keith had sat back, pulling Lance back into his lap so they could press tighter together, desperate to feel the push and pull of one another. Lance nuzzled his face into Keith’s neck, kissing and licking at the sweaty skin, gasping when the man under him reached down to pull their cocks out, gripping them tightly against each other. Keith swore and pumped his hand, aided by the precum that spilled from them both. 

Lance was having a hard time breathing, fingers scratching and clawing at Keith’s shoulders, leaving thick, angry welts in their wake. He fucked up into Keith’s fist, mouth hungrily claiming the red paladin’s as his own. 

“Lance,” Keith said, speaking his name like a prayer. “Lance, sweetheart. Baby. My gorgeous boy.” He used his free hand to cup his cheek gently, kisses going from fierce to slow and lazy. 

“Mmm,” Lance hummed, hips stuttering, losing rhythm as he got close. 

“Lance, look at me,” Keith demanded one last time, purple locking with blue. He could see the question forming behind his eyes and leaned in close, pressing lips against his ear. “I love you.”

Lance’s fingers tightened on his shoulders with a loud gasp, body tensing as he came hard, cock pulsing as thick rivulets spurted out across their abdomens. Watching Lance come apart like that was enough to push Keith over too, mouth opening in a silent cry as his hand tightened and twisted around them, cum mixing with Lance’s with little shame. 

It took a few minutes for both of them to come back to reality, exchanging languid kisses and small whispers of adoration as they pressed closer together. 

“I love you too, Keith,” Lance grinned, pressing his forehead against Keith’s.

 

The next day at breakfast, Lance was positively shining. His attitude was light and airy, his cheeks were dusted with a cute pink and his eyes were bright, illuminated with colors that Keith could only describe as other worldly. His dark skin was speckled with darker marks, showing off his claim with happiness and pride. 

He was sitting next to Keith, fingers tangled with his on the table as he chatted and joked with Hunk. Keith smiled, feeling lighter than he has in years and it was all thanks to the man sitting next to him. The universe had taken human form and Keith was going to love him with every part of his being.


End file.
